College of Law and Business secures place as 12th ICC Mediation Competition champion

With 147 mock sessions under their belts, the College of Law and Business walked away from the mediation table last night as the winners of the 12th International Commercial Mediation Competition of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). The KMPG-sponsored final was held yesterday in Paris at the Maison du Barreau.

Five days ago, the biggest educational event of ICC kicked off with 65 eager and excited university teams, representing 33 countries. Each had put months and hundreds of hours into perfecting their problem-solving skills in cross-border commercial disputes. However, it was the brilliance and expertise of the College of Law and Business (Israel) that locked in the victory against V.M. Salgaocar College of Law Goa, Goa University (India).

Among the eight Competition cases drafted by an international team of experts, the one selected for the final was written by Working Group Chair, Alan Limbury. The spirited dispute dealt with a well-known wine association and its less then bubbly reaction over a retailer’s questionable use of its wine appellation. The professional acting as the mediator during the 2017 Competition Final was Peggy Lansbach O’More. Ms Lansbach O’More is also a mediator who mediates on employment discrimination and labour-management conflicts for the United States Government Sharing Neutrals Programme. Speaking about the final session between the teams from Israel and India, Ms Lansbach O’More said: “I though the teams were very well prepared. It is always a challenge to bring up the points that each team really feels matter to the Competition judges at this level. For me as the mediator, my job is to ensure that both have the time needed and are able to reflect during the mediation process so that they can get all of their creativity out on the table and showcase that to the judges.”

For me as the mediator, my job is to ensure that both have the time needed and are able to reflect during the mediation process so that they can get all of their creativity out on the table and showcase that to the judges.”

The winning team included Rachel Rhodes and Daniel Winer, who participated in the Competition without a coach. This was the first time the College of Law and Business has been represented at the prestigious event. Commenting on their success, winning team member Rachel Rhodes said: “I am in such shock. Daniel and I really did not think that we would get this far. We did a lot of preparation. However, we did not have a lot of experience in mediation beforehand and had only met with our coach once, briefly before coming to Paris. The rest was just Daniel and I pushing through on our own. We are really happy about making it this far and it was a great learning experience.

Adding to Ms Rhode’s comments, fellow winning team member Daniel Winer said: “Rachel and I are very proud to represent Israel. The last session was absolutely fabulous. It was a great round and we both completely enjoyed the experience as a whole. The Indian team was absolutely superb. I will say that there are some teams that you just simply fall in love with and are more than just competitors. There is a real friendship being built here between us. I think that this is one of the incredible parts about this Competition.”

Daniel and I really did not think that we would get this far. We did a lot of preparation. However, we did not have a lot of experience in mediation beforehand and had only met with our coach once, briefly before coming to Paris. The rest was just Daniel and I pushing through on our own. We are really happy about making it this far and it was a great learning experience.”

Second place team, V.M Salgaocar College of Law Goa, Goa University, was represented by Sidney Cardoso and Bernard Fernandes. They also competed without the guidance of a coach. Happy to have made it through the final rounds, team member Mr Fernandes said: “We worked really hard to be here. Ever since we first received the problems, we have been strategizing; thinking about what to do and what not to do; and speaking to experts to get their views and advice on how to be in a mediation. Then, at the Competition, after each round, all the feedback we received from the judges, we made sure to work upon each comment and improve.”

Fellow team member, Mr Cardoso, also said: “I think it was a great Competition. We enjoyed all the sessions and especially working with the College of Law and Business. They were a very tough team to go against. But they were a lot like us-without coaches, just the two of them-so we experienced the same struggles. We enjoyed the Competition and all in all feel it was a great event.”

We enjoyed all the sessions and especially working with the College of Law and Business. They were a very tough team to go against. But they were a lot like us-without coaches, just the two of them-so we experienced the same struggles. We enjoyed the Competition.”

During the final award ceremony, Fernando Cusado, Partner at KPMG Advisory (Forensic) in Madrid, Spain, the headline sponsor of the 12th edition of the Competition, extended his company’s admiration of the global capacity building event. KPMG has been a long-time supporter of the ICC Mediation Week, for which the world business organization is thankful for their continued contribution.